Warning: This article contains spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux.
I’m much more excited to see Barry Keoghan’s Joker get developed further afterJoker: Folie à Deuxbroke its promise.Joker: Folie à Deux, set outside the mainstreamDC Universe, released on October 4 to a mixed response and poor box office turnover. While I actually enjoyedJoker: Folie à Deux, some have criticized Todd Phillips' sequel for not giving us the real villain that was teased at theend of 2019’s originalJoker, and, to an extent, I agree. While I loved this subversion, I’m still craving a dark live-action Joker.
2019’sJokerended withJoaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleckkilling late night talk-show host Murray Franklin and inciting riots all across Gotham, teasing Fleck’s evolution into the true Joker in a sequel. ThroughoutJoker: Folie à Deux,Lady Gaga’s Lee acted as the audience, trying to pry the Joker out of Arthur Fleck, and I loved that this never happened, with Fleck instead renouncing the Joker identity and confessing to his crimes. While I appreciated this ending, it was ultimately anticlimactic, so the door is open for a powerful new Joker to take his place.
Joker: Folie À Deux Failed To Give Us The Real Villain We Wanted
Arthur Fleck Renounced The Joker Identity In Joker: Folie À Deux
Even though I thought it was very clever thatJoker: Folie à Deuxnever showedArthur Fleck’s evolution intotheJoker, this has been at the center of criticism aimed at the movie, and it leftFolie à Deux’saudience wanting much more.2019’sJokerpromised a dark turn for Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, which could have caused him to become a more comic-accurate depiction of the Joker in its sequel. In Phillips' dark, gritty and groundedJokeruniverse, this version of the Clown Prince of Crime could have been the most sinister yet.
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Joker: Folie à Deuxdid include many wonderful scenes of Phoenix in the Joker get-up, but most of these were imagined inArthur Fleck and Harleen Quinzel’s minds. Fleck made himself up as Joker after he decided to represent himself during his elaborate trial, but he soon decided that he wasn’t, in fact, Joker, and needed to confess to his crimes, no matter how much Lee and Joker’s followers tried to make him fully let loose.Since the Joker never actually emerged inFolie à Deux, I’m hopeful that another upcoming movie could reintroduce the villain instead.
Barry Keoghan Can Play The Most Sinister Version Of The Joker Ever
Barry Keoghan Debuted As The Joker In 2022’s The Batman
Initially named “Unseen Arkham Prisoner,“Barry Keoghan’s role in Matt Reeves’The Batmanwas later confirmed to be a new iteration of the Joker. We got a better look at Keoghan’s Joker in a deleted scene fromThe Batman, which revealed that this Joker had already had a skirmish with Robert Pattinson’s Batman, landing him in Arkham Asylum.Despite only being briefly seen on-screen, this new version of the Joker has the opportunity to be the darkest, most sinister, most haunting and most grounded depictionin DC’s live-action history.
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The origins ofBarry Keoghan’s Jokerwere revealed by director Matt Reeves during a 2022 conversation withIGN. A congenital, lifelong illness causes this Joker’s deformities, and forces him to constantly smile, which has caused a lifetime of people ostracizing him and looking at him differently.This reminds me of Arthur Fleck’s otherness in theJokerfranchise, but is taken to the extreme, which makes me excited about the possibility of Barry Keoghan’s Joker becoming the most twisted and evil version of the supervillain ever.
After Joker 2, I Can’t Wait For Barry Keoghan’s Villain To Be Developed
Barry Keoghan’s Joker Can Give Us What We Wanted From Joaquin Phoenix
I would love to see Barry Keoghan’s Joker developed further inMatt Reeves' upcomingThe Batman - Part II, which the actor recently teased toVariety. Not only would this give Academy Award-winner Keoghan the chance to build on his debut as one of the most notable comic book villains of all time, but this would also give us exactly what we were craving fromJoker: Folie à Deux.Keoghan’s Joker could be a huge threat to Pattinson’s Batman and the citizens of Gotham City, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this new villain.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Cast
Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to Todd Phillips' critically acclaimed comic book thriller Joker. Reprising his Academy Award-winning performance as the failed comedian Arthur Fleck, Joaquin Phoenix revisits the iconic DC character alongside Lady Gaga, who makes her debut as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in this standalone continuity of the DC Universe.
